If you didn't know

I quit.

I just seem so busy, I don't have time or the desire to try and keep this blog up.

I give myself grief because I haven't posted- and I can't do it anymore. So I release myself from the responsibility and the pressure.

So I wanted to say "Farewell- it has been fun"

Good luck to all. Happy quilting....

Angels On Your Body!

Lori

Ahhh that really is lifting. :)

Happy New Year 2012

Ok, I had 13 posts last year. that averages out to like 1 a month. Not the best, but I will try to do better this year.

I am not sewing right now. I started this year sick with pneumonia, but as soon as I feel better I have some great quilts planned for this year.

Now for the re-cap since Oct. I will do it in pics of quilts- it will be quicker.

I have participated in some quilt challenges before. One was the 10 FQ challenge. You have 10 FQ's you give to someone and they add to those and make a quilt and give it back to you.

I choose RW&B FQ's and Neen made this and returned it to me. It took me a while to decide how to quilt it, it really is unique. I really love this quilt and the way it quilted. It's called "A New Day"

My friend Brian installs sprinkler systems- working in the heat a lot. His cargo van has 2 seats and a metal grate seperates the tool area. This quilt attaches to the metal grate with Rare Earth magnets, so the heater or AC stays in the front area only, where the people are. The shiny things are clear vinyl pockets for paperwork.

Mimi has a college softball team mate in the battle for her life with liver cancer. Her friends sent me their foot prints and I printed them on fabric in this quilt- Helping Katrinia Kick Cancer, you can read her blog about this battle.

and this was for her son's 1st birthday. Makes her battle even greater.

My precious grandson Kaeden turned 2, can you believe it? Like most 2 yr olds, he LOVES Thomas The Train. Although his older brother really loves this, so they kinda share. But it is Kaeden's. It did my heart a world of good to watch him open this via FaceTime (thank you iPhone)

One of Kevin's coworkers at the FD was about to retire and start his new life. Those plans were altered when his mom died suddenly, his father passed a few years ago. This comfort quilt was for Scott and surprisingly he and the wife had just bought new furniture that exactly matches the brown in this fabric. They loves this quilt.

Kim's Misfit Quilt- that's what Kevin called this one. A friend of Katrinia's liked my work on the cancer quilt and asked if I could sell her a quilt for a Christmas gift for her husband. So after the quilt was decided on, I started on this "Farmer's Wife Sampler" getting all the blocks done before I got sick at Thanksgiving. After nearly 3 weeks I was back sewing on this only to find 3 of these 18 blocks were to small, so I had to make more. I didn't get enough of the border fabric so the border was not as big as I wanted it. I had the wrong backing fabric and had to go buy more. Once I got it on the frame my machine started acting up and I had a hard time getting it finished. As always, I sent it thru a wash to check to make sure no colors ran and then into the dryer. When I brought it upstairs from the laundry I was folding it and noticed a grease stain the size of a raisin! WHAT? It was in the white fabric, right near the fold line. I cried & cried. I put stain remover and lightened the stain, but it was still there. So I boxed it up, sent it off to her with a note & her money back. Devastated ! Then UPS delivered it to the wrong address and it took her hours to find the box.

That's when Kevin said- it's a "Misfit Quilt- I just wanna be a quilt!"

I anxiously waited for days to hear from her and she called today, to tell me she LOVED THE QUILT! Her husband loves it so much he uses it on the couch and then takes it to bed to sleep with. He said the spot gives it character. She wanted to pay me for the new treasure so we renegotiated the price. I am just so happy and relieved to hear they loved it.

The spot is in the center triangle along the bottom of this quilt in the pic. Almost in the black fabric- but not quite. Never in all my quilts has this happened.

So this has been my sewing since October.

I will attempt to do more blogging this year. I have an art quilt I have planned I am really excited about. More to come.

So Happy New Year- 2012!

Later Darlin'

Guess it's about time I updated this.

WOW... Really- May?

I can't believe it has taken me so long to update. I can tell you I have a very good reason- I've been very busy.

I won't bore you with everything- just some highlights....

The end of May, I went to Tulsa to help Mimi with the house she just bought.

Painting and cleaning and worked my butt off for 3 weeks.

the before kitchen

the after kitchen- she had such a beautiful vision for this house.

Strangely I was there when the tornado hit Joplin MO. This is the cloud bank that spawned that massive destruction. We were on the western side of Joplin by 2 hrs and this is what we saw. Scarey!!!

But the good thing was I did get to see those sweet grandsons of mine, Kaleb & Kaeden had their pictures done when I arrived. Boy they are handsome fellas!

This is just Kaleb- with such a beautifl look on his face.

And beautiful Kaeden with Kaleb in the background-twirling his hair...LOL

I got back and had to make quilt for a friend to give as a gift. This was for Autumn, she loved her birthday gift.

I had just a few weeks to start/finish my challenge quilt for my sister's

quilters get-together. It was suppose to represent Summer or the Tropics.

So I decided to do one of the old time postcards- for the New Jersey shore.

I tied for 1st place with a friend- Neen, hers was stunning and we were good for splitting 1st place.

I decided we needed to share a ribbon- so I made each of us one for "1/2 Place Winner"

with a certificate.... I had gone to Maine for the 1st week of August for the Maine Quilt show, and stayed with Neen along with some fellow quilters, but the Ribbon wasn't completed then so I mailed it later.

I made a comfort quilt for my nephews wife who had just lost her Mom to cancer. It was from blocks donated to me by Dawn-Marie, as she had started it but lost interest. Carolyn loved this quilt when Mimi showed it to her- she said with a sly grin "I may have to take this home with me" and Mimi looked at her and said" GOOD coz it has your name on it- it was made for you!" She was stunned- delightfully.

I did a couple of baby quilts... well ok 5, and they have gone to the new babies.

But I also dropped off over another 100 pounds of pull tabs to the Ronald McDonald's House

Well I have more to share but will be my next post. Promise not that long before the next. All of this just brought us up to Aug.

Later Darlin'

What a week...

My kids Dad, Ron bought himself a motorcycle a few months back. One that he could cruise around on- not a crotch rocket....

He has been trying to put some miles on it, getting used to riding again. He agreed to go on a ride in Arkansas last week with a group of friends. They usually fly through the mountains in this area, but agreed to slow down for him.

He lost control on a curve and went off the roadway, thinking he could right himself on the shoulder. Only there was NO SHOULDER- and he went down the hill. You can see the orange marker in this pic- that marks a cement culvert... he missed it, going on the left side of the marker and down the hill. LUCKY!

So once he stopped flipping head over heels he had to climb BACK UP to the top of the hill to get help.

He busted the windshield off the bike as he flipped it

Dented the gas tank when the handle bars bent down into it.

This is the helmet he was wearing- THANK GOD!

He made it up to the roadway, the truck following the group came upon him and called for help. He was taken to Eureka Springs hospital and then flown to Fayetteville AR to the trauma center. He has broken ribs, bleeding from his spleen, a laceration on his liver, a crack in the the outer casing of his kidney and worst of all- a broken C3 vertebrae and significant ligament damage around it.

To make matters worse, he has been on blood thinners because he has a problem with blood clots... and then his lower lobes of his lungs filled with fluid and collapsed.

When they went to do surgery, he spiked a temp and surgery had to be postponed. Needless to say- it ain't been his week!

He finally had his surgery- one week after being admitted. They only did his neck surgery- his spleen finally got it's act together and decided to behave and stopped bleeding.. so it got to stay home...

He finally got out of bed and got to sit in the chair... to the delight of my kids, who have been at his bedside since it happened.

The moved him out of ICU after a week and into a regular room, where he can get up and walk, to help his lungs start clearing up. He has a long road to haul... but he has strong will and it won't be long before he is back to his old self.

The BIGGEST ISSUE IS: Mimi is buying a house- suppose to sign the papers this week and start the painting and work process THIS WEEKEND... and her painter just wrecked his motorcycle!

So I am leaving this next Sat May 21st to go to Tulsa for just over 2 weeks, to help her paint and get this house ready to move into, help her pack where she is renting, and help her move.

Coz her Daddy can't lift a finger! I sure am gonna be sore....

There is a bonus here... I get to see and spend some time with those 2 beautiful grandsons of mine- I know, it's a tough break but I think I can handle it!!! :) :) :) I am so excited to see my kids and families and spend time with those boys again.

So I am trying to finish up some projects before I leave... pack and organize things around here for Rose to function without me.

Kevin finally went back to work last week, limited light duty, since he injured his back last

Jan 30th... been a long recovery for him.

So wish me luck... I got lots to do in a short time.

Wish Ron a speedy recovery- he is gonna need it!

Have a great Memorial Day!

Later Darlin'

1st Anniversary of his 25th birthday

Yep! My brother Lee got to celebrate that milestone.

He turned 50! Hard to think my baby brother is 50- yikes I feel old.

His wonderful wife Sherri, was able to pull off a complete surprise party for him, even flying in his oldest daughter Dajah in from the west coast.

Dajah and her boyfriend

His birthday was on Thursday, and so as not to draw suspicion they celebrated his birthday with the immediate family.

Sherri had made plans for them to go to the lake on Saturday, so she told him not to make any other plans for THAT day. He was kinda thinkin' she had something up her sleeve for Saturday.

NOPE! She planned it for Friday night! She took the day off to prepare a marvelous spread of appetizer foods

She sent him to the store on his way home from work so as to delay his arrival- that way everyone was there waiting. He pulled in the driveway, normal number of cars in it... and walked in to the surprise!!!!!!!!!

That is Everyone but me.... I arrived about 5 minutes later. It normally takes me 4.5 hours to drive down to Fredericksburg VA, but that was the Easter weekend and Good Friday no less- so it seemed everyone else was on the road.

It worked out great though, because I walked in his house, after he had just been SURPRISED by about 30 of his friends & family and he was still trying to take it all in. I was not 5 feet in the house when he rounded the corner and saw me and smiled great big and said "Hey, glad you made it!" and hugged me. As he hugged me- it dawned on him WHO I was and he leaned back and said "What are YOU doing here?" really surprised now. I said "I heard there was a party- it's not everyday your baby brother turns 50!" He gave me a huge hug..... so nice. I had not seen him for nearly 2 yrs. It was a really good hug. :)

After mingling for a bit- it was time for cake and to open gifts.

Lee & Sherri

He got some good gifts, this one cracked me up the most.

Years ago his wife and kids made him a quilt that was special- it represented home and the Navy. It was square in size and not very long to be able to nap with. He had once told me he would like to have a long quilt he could wrap under his feet, and pull up to his chin.... he is close to 6 ft tall so that's a long quilt.

For this birthday, I made him a long scrappy quilt, using fabrics that had meaning in his life.

He brews beer, worked in the Navy as a diver, and still works with the military, loves to travel, cook and loves the beach, mountains, hockey and much more. Let's just say he was quite pleased with this quilt.

It was too long to hang vertical- so you can still see the fabrics this way.

It was a great evening, lots of great food, good friends and fun memories.

I only wish it would have lasted longer. I had to leave the next morning- well afternoon since we didn't even get up till 10am... (we had that much fun till 3 am)

It was sure good to see him and help him celebrate his "1st Anniversary of his 25th birthday"

and I plan to get back down there soon and spend a nice long weekend with him and the family.

Thanks for a great time Lee!

Later Darlin'

Quilts for the victims in Japan

I found a site online thru the Quilter's Newsletter magazine where they were collecting quilts to be sent to the victims of the earthquake and aftermath in Japan.

The deadline was for April 30th, so I had to work hard to get them all done- but I did it....

I went thru all the quilt tops I had, some were mine, some were donated to me by friends who know I make comfort quilts and a few were just donated to me by a friend who was downsizing and had to get rid of stuff- some being quilt tops and backings. I just loaded them on the frame and I just did a quick meander stitch- so I could get them done soon.

So today I mailed off 15 quilts, I only got pics of 13 coz I was in such a hurry....

It was over 25 pounds worth- but I had donations to offset the shipping- AND it is for a good cause.

Here are pic of the quilts I sent. some are baby quilts, some medium size and 2 were large.

This was made by someone and given to Lena and she donated to me.

This is a baby size from Jo- she was downsizing and donated a few- Thanks!

Another from Jo- size of 50 x 60

This is a large flannel one from Jo- 60x70

This is one that Giz donated- her daughter Dakota made it.

A strip twist made by Giz

Dawn-Marie donated both of these for me to use for comfort quilts- DONE!

Neen had sent me blocks from a Mystery quilt she was making and never finished. So I assembled them into these 2 baby quilts to send.

The tops I made are as follows

Just some scrappy 6" sqs.

leftovers from Megs quilt.

And my very 1st quilt I made... hard to look at me mistakes but it was still a good top to quilt and send. I have GREATLY improved over the last 7 years

Wendy sent me 2 quilt tops for this project- and I got them done- they were the last ones and was in such a hurry I thought I had pics of them- but sadly I didn't. I am sorry Wendy, they really turned out nice and I appreciated all you did to help me with this cause- you are a gem!

I do have one pic of part of the baby quilt- I really liked the fabric and inquired of her where she got it, so here is a partial pic.

I hope this effort raises ALOT of quilts for these poor folks in Japan. It is so sad what they must be going thru and if I can help by sending a quilt- it was my honor to do so!

I wish I had more time- I could have finished a few more baby quilts. Oh well.

I have some other projects I need to work on.

Later Darlin'

Visiting Washington DC before it closes...

I made plans last October, for a family vacation to visit Washington DC during the Cherry Blossom festival of 2011. It would be Kevin & I, his mom and her sister. That way we could have some romantic time and the 2 sisters (both in their 80's) could keep each other company.

We had hotel reservations and tickets for the Monuments by Moonlight tour in advance.

Then Kevin hurt his back- so he couldn't go. So I called Sondra, my friend who lives in WV and she was all up for a girls weekend away.... so away we went.

Sondra, Rose & Lena at the WWII memorial

We were told that because of the tragedy in Japan, there was a larger crowd for the Cherry Blossom Festival this year. They were right. It was VERY crowded. We took the Old Time Trolly tour and what was normally a 15-20 min wait between trolleys, ended up being a 45 min wait. Which was not so great when the rain started... oh well, can't control the weather.

You can see the storm clouds brewing when we were at the Lincoln Memorial.

The Capital Hilton was a nice hotel, but I am used to the hotels that have a fridge & microwave so I was disappointed we didn't have one. We would eat out and want to take the leftovers to snack on later but had no way to keep them... It had NICE beds... very comfy rooms.

Parking is $$ I paid $42.00 a night to park at the hotel. We didn't use the car while we were there... so I had to park it somewhere. It was only a block from the White House and close to the Metro line and the Trolly Tours- so it worked out for us.

While Rose & Lena toured the Botanical Gardens, Sondra & I wandered around the American Indian Museum. This building has no right angles- evil spirits dwell there- and is such a unique building... I loved it. We didn't get that much time to experience it, but it was interesting what we did see.

The cherry trees were beautiful. All around the town, but especially along the tidal basin is where they are planted.

The Monuments by Moonlight was a wonderful tour. It was over 3 hours, but the driver really told you alot about each stop and it was very enjoyable.

It started just about sunset, and the Capital was pretty in this shot.

This is the WWII memorial at night with the Lincoln memorial in the distance. You can see the reflection of the Washington Monument in the glass in this picture.

We wanted to go thru the Holocaust Museum but the line was way too long, along with most of the other sites.

This one really moved me- it was the Japanese Memorial. There were alot of visitors and many flowers that were left there. Along the back wall was carved the names of all the Internment camps that the Japanese were held in during WWII. I am not sure what the significance of the large stones in the water was. On saturday they had music and speakers there.

We saw alot, we walked way to much and we made some great memories. All in all I was glad we went when we did, because THIS weekend is the Cherry Blossom parade and because of the budget mess they will cancel the parade and all the National park monuments will be closed. And ALL of those tourist who are in town will be out of luck! Such a shame....

I recommend going- it is a city that you need some time to really appreciate.

I will go back so I can go thru some of the museums and spend some time seeing them.